New breed of sign waver on Harbor Boulevard

2013-04-09 16:58:48

After passing through downtown Fullerton on Harbor Boulevard, drivers may notice a blonde female figure waving a sign that reads "Cash for Gold."

Her hair is much too blonde and her sign moves much too smoothly. She wears high heels and a short dress while holding a model's pose in the hot midday sun. Her attire is in stark contrast to the sun-beaten, bearded man wearing jeans and a T-shirt who waved the gold sign before her.

As cars pass by, people take a second glance, pointing fingers, faces slack with disbelief.

"Is that a real woman?" asked passerby Mel Torres, a resident of Long Beach and employee at Boeing. Upon realizing that it was actually a battery-powered robot, he was taken aback.

"That's creepy," he said.

According to Cash for Gold Exchange Partner Mark Suh, the blond, robotic sign waver is a major money-saver.

"I'll save $10,000 minimum," he said about the yearly cost of his sign waver. According to Suh, the robot costs around $2,000.

Labeled an "economy booster" on its brochure, the robot can wave a sign non-stop for up to 15 hours a day on a single charge of its battery. It's water resistant, does not become fatigued and does not need to take water or lunch breaks.

"My new employee doesn't have any of those problems," Suh said.

The sign waver is left out for around nine hours a day, six days a week, in front of the gold exchange. Sales Representative Dali Gonzalez says that it has attracted a lot of attention. Many people walking by will stop to look at it or even take a picture with it.

Cash For Gold Exchange hopes that the blonde bot will bring in more clients.